Early retirement can be a bit of a mysteryhow does one achieve and maintain such a lifestyle'I talked to several early retirees, and they had a few surprising things to say about early retirement, both good and bad.No one tells you thatearly retirement may incite criticism from friends and family, or that it doesn't take as much money to be comfortable as you may think.Early retirement invites a lot of talk.Saving enough money to span for decades can seem impossible, and making it last that long appears to be even more out of reach. And, many ask, what is one supposed to do with their time during early retirement, anyway'It seems unattainable to most people and that makes it seem a bit mysterious. After talking to several early retirees, I've found that mystery isn't completely without reasonthere are many things about early retirement that people don't know until they get there.The good' How much money you need to retire may not be as much as you think. The bad' You may face some criticism from others who don't understand your decision to retire early.Here's what you didn't know about early retirement.SEE ALSO:How much money you need to retire early depends almost entirely on 2 factorsDON'T MISS:I asked 3 early retirees how people know they're ready to stop working, and they all said the same thingYou'll probably be criticizedMr. Tako, who retired at 38 and writes the blogMr. Tako Escapes, previously told Business Insider that he didn't expect to face such criticism when retiring early."The amount of mental fortitude required isn't something I think gets talked about enough," he said. "The ability to withstand significant criticism of your life should not be understated when a person retires early. Expect your friends, family, and online peeps to criticize this choice, especially if you're younger. It really brings the 'haters' out of the woodwork."There is no right time to retire earlyIn hindsight, many early retirees wished they didn't wait so long to plunge intoearly retirement even if they didn't have as much money saved as they would have liked. Some even said that money shouldn't be the deciding factor when it comes to retiring early."I wish I knew that it's OK to take the leap before you think you're ready,"Joe Olson,who retired at 29 with his wife, Ali,previously told Business Insider.Together, they travel and run a blog calledAdventuring Along."You will very likely be fine, and if you aren't, there are so many opportunities in life, you can go earn more money later if it's needed."Chris Reining,who retired as a self-made millionaire at age 37 andruns a blog,also wished he retired sooner."The funny thing about money is you always feel like you need moreeven when you have enough, you never have enough," he said.Whether you hit your savings goal or not, you'll probably never feel truly ready to retire earlybut that shouldn't stop you anyway.You may need less money than you think to be comfortableIf you have a low cost of living and potential for investment growth and passive income, how much money you need to retire early may not be as high as you think.When Reining was planning to retire, he was aiming to save enough for the "4% rule":you can comfortably withdraw 4% from your investment accounts each year, while adjusting for inflation and without running out of money.However, he ended up retiring earlywhen he could withdraw 3% from his investment accounts a year. After year two in retirement, he was withdrawing just 2%, all because he was living below his means."Becoming financially independent isn't about how much money you have, it's about how much you spend, because how much you spend determines how much you need," he wrote.See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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